Someone to Love: A Westcott Novel, Book 1

Anna Snow grew up in an orphanage in Bath knowing nothing of the family she came from. Now she discovers that the late Earl of Riverdale was her father and that she has inherited his fortune. She is also overjoyed to learn she has siblings. However, they want nothing to do with her or her attempts to share her new wealth. But the new earl's guardian is interested in Anna.

An Offer from a Gentleman

Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball - or that Prince Charming would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Indiscreet: The Horseman Trilogy

In the country visiting his twin brother, Viscount Rawleigh longs for a little diversion, and beautiful young widow Catherine Winters seems like easy prey. But Rex's target is a lady of virtue, and when she roundly rejects his improper proposal to become his mistress, Rex finds himself faced with a delectable challenge.

Slightly Married: Bedwyn Saga Series, Book 1

Like all the Bedwyn men, Aidan has a reputation for cool arrogance. But this proud nobleman also possesses a loyal, passionate heart - and it is this fierce loyalty that has brought Colonel Lord Aidan to Ringwood Manor to honor a dying soldier's request. Having promised to comfort and protect the man's sister, Aidan never expected to find a headstrong, fiercely independent woman who wants no part of his protection, nor did he expect the feelings this beguiling creature would ignite in his guarded heart.

Unforgiven: The Horsemen Trilogy

The Woodfall and Hayes families have been bitter rivals for nearly a century. Now, after eight years, Kenneth returns home and realizes his underlying love for Miss Moira Hayes. For her, he is willing to forget the past. But can she?

Simply Perfect: Simply Quartet Series, Book 4

Tall, dark, and exquisitely sensual, he is the epitome of male perfection. Not that Claudia Martin is looking for a lover. Or a husband. As owner and headmistress of Miss Martin's School for Girls in Bath, she long ago resigned herself to a life without love. Until Joseph, Marquess of Attingsborough, arrives unannounced and tempts her to toss away a lifetime of propriety for an affair that can only lead to ruin.

Heartless

Life has taught Lucas Kendrick, duke of Harndon, that a heart is a decided liability. Betrayed by his elder brother, rejected by his fiancée, banished by his father, and shunned by his mother, Luke fled to Paris, where he became the most sought-after bachelor in fashionable society. Ten years later fate has brought him back home to England as head of the family who rejected him. Unwilling as he is to be involved with them, he must assume responsibility for his younger siblings, the family estate he once loved - and the succession.

The Proposal

Award-winning and New York Times best-selling author Mary Balogh delights fans with historical romantic tales that touch the heart. After her husband dies in a freak accident, Lady Gwendoline Muir never dreams she’ll love again. So when soldier-turned-nobleman Lord Hugo Trentham stirs feelings in her that have lain dormant for years, she can’t help but imagine his strong embrace. Hugo finds himself drawn to Gwen, but he’s never courted a woman before. Can he muster the right words to make Gwen open her heart and love once more?

Simply Magic: Simply Quartet, Book 3

On a splendid August afternoon, Susanna Osbourne is introduced to the most handsome man she has ever seen...and instantly feels the icy chill of recognition. Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, is utterly charming - and seemingly unaware that they have met before. With his knowing smile and seductive gaze, Peter acts the rake; but he stirs something in Susanna she has never felt before, a yearning that both frightens and dazzles her.

Simply Love: The Simply Quartet, Book 2

She spies him in the deepening dusk of a Wales evening - a lone figure of breathtaking strength and masculinity, his handsome face branded by a secret pain. For single mother and teacher Anne Jewell, newly arrived with her son at a sprawling estate in Wales, Sydnam Butler is a man whose sorrows - and passions - run deeper than she could have ever imagined. As steward of a remote seaside manor, Sydnam lives a reclusive existence far from the pity and disdain of others.

Simply Unforgettable: The Simply Quartet, Book 1

Stranded together in a rustic country inn, Lucius Marshall, who is the Viscount Sinclair, and Frances Allard share a night of glorious, unforgettable passion. But Frances knows her place, and it is far from the privileged world of the sensual aristocrat. Due to begin her teaching position at Miss Martin's School in Bath, Frances must try to forget that one extraordinary night - and the man who touched her with such exquisite tenderness and abandon.

The Duke and I

Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry - though there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

Beyond the Sunrise

Even at 15, Jeanne, the privileged daughter of a royalist EmigrE, knew what she liked: Englishman Robert Blake, bastard son of a marquess. Yet his questionable birth rendered him forbidden. Forced to part, they were still young enough to believe in tomorrow. But as time passed, that brief ephemeral flirtation at Haddington Hall faded into memory.

Once Upon a Marquess: Worth Saga, Volume 1

The last man Judith Worth wants to see again is Christian Trent, the Marquess of Ashford - the man who spent summers at her family home, who kissed her one magical night...and then heartlessly ruined her father. But when a tricky business matter arises, he's the only one she can ask for help. With any luck, he'll engage a servant to take care of the matter, and she won't even have to talk with him.

Marrying Winterborne

Savage ambition has brought common-born Rhys Winterborne vast wealth and success. In business and beyond, Rhys gets exactly what he wants. And from the moment he meets the shy, aristocratic Lady Helen Ravenel, he is determined to possess her. If he must take her virtue to ensure she marries him, so much the better....

Cold-Hearted Rake

Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities...and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house - along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.

Wicked Intentions

Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.....

My American Duchess

The arrogant Duke of Trent intends to marry a well-bred Englishwoman. The last woman he would ever consider marrying is the adventuresome Merry Pelford - an American heiress who has infamously jilted two fiancés. But after one provocative encounter with the captivating Merry, Trent desires her more than any woman he has ever met. He is determined to have her as his wife, no matter what it takes. And Trent is a man who always gets what he wants.

More than a Mistress: Mistress Series, Book 1

An arrogant duke does the unthinkable - he falls in love with his mistress.... She raced onto the green, desperate to stop a duel. In the mêlée, Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham, was shot. To his astonishment, Tresham found himself hiring the servant as his nurse. Jane Ingleby was far too bold for her own good. Her blue eyes were the sort a man could drown in - were it not for her impudence. She questioned his every move, breached his secrets, touched his soul. When he offered to set her up in his London town house, love was the last thing on his mind.

Miss Wonderful: Carsington Brothers, Book 1

War hero Alistair Carsington really really loves women, and his romantic impulses have landed him in nearly as much danger as the Battle of Waterloo. To avoid his usual temptations and perhaps even repay the friend who saved his life, he's exiled himself to a place far from civilization - Derbyshire - in winter! Fate laughs at his good intentions and drives him straight into conflict with Miss Mirabel Oldridge, his match in tenacity, intelligence, and deviousness - who also happens to be wildly irresistible.

Not Quite a Lady: Carsington Brothers Series

Darius Carsington is a spectacularly attractive rake, who's all brains and brawn...and no heart; a man who's equally expert at bedding loose-moraled women and writing scholarly papers. He finds society's "perfect darlings" exceedingly boring. Then why is he so intrigued by the supposedly faultless Lady Charlotte Hayward? Darius senses a crack under her polished surface - and finding it is a challenge he can't resist.

Cast in Shadows

Gideon Waverley, heir to the Duke of Townsend, had everything a young man could need, a promising future, a title, charming good looks, great friends, and a family who adored him. Until his body turned him into a monster. He had no choice but to separate himself from the world, to hide his monstrous self from society, to cast away his future. But the brilliant and beautiful Eve Cornwell refused to believe he could not be saved, even as she refused to guard her heart.

Noble Satyr: Roxton Family Saga, Book 1

1740s France and England. Abandoned to fend for herself at the court of Versailles, Antonia turns to her distant cousin, the all-powerful Duke of Roxton, to help her escape the attentions of a lecherous nobleman. Roxton is an unlikely savior - arrogant, promiscuous, and sinister. Antonia's unquestioning belief in him may just be his salvation, and her undoing.

First Comes Marriage: Huxtable Series, Book 1

Against the scandal and seduction of Regency England, New York Times best-selling author Mary Balogh introduces an extraordinary family - the fiery, sensual Huxtables. Vanessa is the second daughter, proud and daring, a young widow who has her own reason for pursuing the most eligible bachelor in London. One that has nothing to do with love. Or does it?

Publisher's Summary

From New York Times best-selling legend and author of the Survivors' Club series comes a cherished novel about the risks and the compromises that come with falling in love....

Governess and mistress - he wanted her as both....

The illegitimate daughter of an English lord, Sian Jones abandoned her heritage to live in a stalwart coal-mining community in South Wales. Empowered by their cause, she's engaged to be married to the leader of a revolutionary movement that is bracing itself against the tyranny of English mine owners. But Sian's principles are unexpectedly shaken when she accepts a job as governess under Alexander Hyatt, the mysterious marquess of Craille, the oppressive symbol of everything she has come to resist.

She never expected Alexander to upend all her expectations. He is sympathetic to her cause. He is a loving father. A man of wealth and position, he is fatally attractive. And he is offering his heart to the independent woman who has illuminated his life. Now, caught between two worlds and between the promises and desires of two men, Sian must make a choice that will define her future - one that can only be made in the name of love....

Some times I got so frustrated with the stubbornness of the heroine that I would stop listening to the book to process my irritation! That is my only complaint really. Mary Balogh's writing is always a treat. The character development was solid and constant. It is a great listen or read for anyone that enjoys this genre!

These days I prefer to only read books that expand my consciousness in some way. In this case, I was able to reflect on the themes of class, belonging, the beauty of nature and the destruction of it, and how love can transcend boundaries, while also learning about Welsch culture, language, and history. I happen to be a quarter Welsch but prior to listening to this book I knew almost nothing about Wales except that it was in the UK (I'm American).

As far as the romance goes, it does have a bit of a Harlequin feel and has some very racy moments. However, I didn't mind these because they were tasteful and succinct.

The narrator was great, although I did find her accents and breathy-ness to be a bit heavy handed at times.

The audiobook overall was highly evocative and well done. Highly, highly recommend!

It was a good story and I always enjoy her characters, but the love scenes a tad painful and she tends to repeat the same words and phrases over and over again. Rosalyn Landor did a wonderful job of narrating, but I would expect no less. I'd listen to her read the dictionary.

I love a good long story, but this one seemed to have a lot of filler in the beginning (slow start) and end (boorrring - it kept on and on even after the end was plain to see). But the positives far outweighed these things for me - the narrator does an amazing job, and the story was strong, characters nuanced and well developed...I liked it very much.

The book started out strong and maintained tension and good development of characters. I was disappointed by the two main characters developing love story. The ending was weak. Not nearly as good as many other Mary B books I have read and loved.

Interesting story set against the forming of the miners' union. The reasoning for the two characters not to be together are a bit silly. One of those situations where they just need to communicate better. Fun sex scenes.

The story is set in a Welsh mining community at a time when workers were badly exploited and unions for protecting workers rights had not been fully developed. A new aristocratic owner with humanitarian views and a more enlightened approach, experiences hostility but falls in love with one of his workers. Tradition forbids marriage and as the relationship develops, many hurdles, some brutal, have to be overcome before a HEA is possible. I think that this is one of Ballogh's best and is beautifully narrated by Rosalyn Landor. I believe that Ballogh spent her childhood in the South Wales valleys where she may have imbibed some of the community spirit of these mining communities, giving plausibility and strength to her writing. Some of the love scenes are out of this world .... highly recommended for romance enthusiasts!

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